Hannah March of Albany keeps herself covered as she braves the cold...

The temperatures on photographer Skip Dickstein's truck tells the sad truth: It was minus 7 degrees at 7 a.m. Wednesday. The region is in the grips of a cold spell that will last the week. (Skip Dickstein / Times Union)

The temperatures on photographer Skip Dickstein's truck tells the...

The temperature reads minus 2 degrees at the corner of State and Pearl streets on Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2014, in Albany, N.Y. (Cindy Schultz / Times Union)

Days of caustic cold have strapped local Code Blue providers, who have sheltered record numbers of people as arctic cold has hovered over the Capital Region.

In Albany, the Capital City Rescue Mission has already held more Code Blue nights this winter than it has in any year since the city's program began four years ago. Code Blue programs provide warm shelter to those without it on nights when the temperatures dip below 10 degrees. On Tuesday night, the Capital City Rescue Mission provided Code Blue shelter for 32 people, a record for the city's program.

"Even the really street hardy people can't survive outside when it's 20 below with wind chill," said Liz Hitt, director of Homeless and Travelers Aid Society, which coordinates Albany's Code Blue program. "This has been the worst winter on record since Code Blue began."

On Wednesday, forecasters advised to not stay out in the cold for more than 30 minutes Wednesday, due to wind chill temperatures that would reach 15 to 25 degrees below zero.

The region awoke Wednesday to below zero temperatures – minus 6 in Albany. Air temperatures felt far colder than the day's high of 9, with wind temperatures creating a chill dangerous to bare skin.

More of the same was expected for Thursday, with temperatures expected to hit a high of 13 degrees. The weather service has issued a wind chill advisory for the areas surrounding the Capital Region until 11 a.m. Thursday.

"Dress in several layers and cover exposed skin and don't stay out in the weather more than 15 to 30 minutes if you can," Wasula said.

Albany's Code Blue is expected to stretch into Friday or Saturday. Hitt said that providing Code Blue service so many days in a row has stretched thin the resources of the organizations that assist with the city's program. It is unusual to have so many Code Blue nights consecutively. And participating organizations such as HATAS and Capital City Rescue Mission do not receive additional funding for Code Blue service.

Susan Jones, director of development at Capital City Rescue Mission, said that sheltering an additional 32 people for Code Blue put the building's total at 198 guests. The mission's so-called overflow area overflowed, leaving people to sleep in the hallways. When the mission ran out of sleeping mats, people slept in chairs.

In Saratoga Springs, which began its Code Blue program this year, the program issued a plea on Twitter for gloves for the kitchen and men's underwear. There, the Code Blue alert extended through Saturday morning.

Temperatures will warm up a little by the weekend, with the mercury expected to hit the uppers 20s on Saturday. The arctic chill will, though, will only be on a temporary hiatus: it's set to sweep back in early next week.